New Ulm, MN - The Martin Luther College football team battled Augsburg University (MIAC) on Saturday afternoon and played hard against a talented Auggies' team, but came up short in a 34-7 defeat.

The Knights had entered the contest 2-0 after impressive defensive performances that led them to wins over Lawrence and Macalester. The defense would stall the Auggies at times throughout the four quarters on the field, but Augsburg had a balanced offensive attack and 438 yards of total offense. Quarterback Marcus Freeman passed for 280 yards and 2 touchdowns and had two favorite targets on the outside: Tyrone Wilson and Tyrique Givance. Wilson finished his day with eight receptions, 165 yards, and 2 touchdowns, while Givance caught nine passes for 111 yards. The Augsburg ground game was contained on a good chunk of their attempts, but they broke off a few big runs, including a 51-yard run by Lamar Webb Jr. to put his team up 14-0.

Augsburg marched out to a 20-0 lead in the second quarter, but MLC answered with a touchdown just before halftime as Brady Turriff found Andrew Raasch for a 16-yard touchdown. The score capped off a drive of 11 plays, 74 yards and was the best offensive possession of the contest for the Knights.

MLC had multiple possessions in the game where it looked like they could put some more points on the board, but the Auggies' pass rush was relentless in their pursuit of Turriff and recorded eight sacks of the freshman quarterback.

Despite being pressured all day, Turriff continued to show growth at the quarterback position and went 22-36 with 197 yards and one touchdown. Senior running back also had some solid moments in the backfield, rushing for 57 yards.

Raasch and Thomas Koelpin were the top receivers for the Knights, as Raasch had five receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown, while Koelpin caught six passes for 51 yards.

Matthew Hillmer moved over to safety from his normal cornerback position and had eight tackles, while also recovering a fumble. Four MLC defenders finished with six tackles, as the Knights forced two turnovers.

MLC goes to 2-1 for the season and will have some time to rest during a bye week coming up. The Knights will be back on the field on October 5 for a homecoming matchup with Minnesota Morris at 1 p.m.